sobota, 13. september 2014

Montenegro and Macedonia

Montenegro is a land of rocks. Everywhere you look you can see cool sectors with endless possibilities for rock climbing. After driving kilometers and just looking at this routeless rocks we finally came to Smokovac. Around 70 routes already bolted on one side of the canyon and some more on the other side. Soon we started to climb and we enjoyed all of the routes until we were skinless.
The hardest route in Montenegro
Neverovatni dinosauri 8b+
Rotor & Wings 8b
Next day I already climbed all the hardest routes there so I decided to make myself a new one. I saw a nice 28m tufa line so I started bolting. The same day I tried it and I did it in my first try. So again no more routes for me… Where is the next one? Just on the left of it. One more day of bolting and now I had a little more work with it. It turned out to be a little harder and even better and it had a funny crux just before the top. Few meters on the left I already saw the next line but it will have to wait boltless until I return. Hopefully soon.
New project in Maurovo

It was too hard to do in one day

Upper part is super nice and super hard. I ike it
In Macedonia the story repeated. Driving through the canyon and just looking at endless possibilities for climbing. This time our sector was a big cave in Mavrovo where you can climb all day even if it’s raining all the time. Soon I climbed the hardest route there so the next day I brought my Bosch drilling machine with me. This time I decided to do something harder so I bolted 50m long big overhang with just enough holds to get to the top (I hope). First part is “just” around 8c and then it starts. I had hard times just getting to the top from quickdraw to quickdraw and I was super happy when I get there. It’s hard and it will have to wait for the next time I get back a bit stronger. Like any other place we visited on this trip: “I can’t wait to get back”.
Our hotel (this time we were not sleeping in a car)

And now the Petzl Roctrip starts. Yeah, see you in Romania.

ponedeljek, 1. september 2014

Balkan Trip Part 1

We left rainy Slovenia on 14.8. and drove to Croatia. Our first stop was in Sveti Rok where we wanted to check one crag that we saw from road long time ago. 
SV. Rok could be a nice climbing area
In Velebit we were climbing in Prezid. Routes there were more for Anja so I was just enjoying the view and belaying. I was saving myself for Split.
Prezid, rest from driving
Markezine Grede we visited already few years ago and we new we can't skip them this time. On the first day I did OSFA (on sight, first ascent) of Full Contact 8a+ and on the second I tried another one but with no luck. There is still many more routes there, so I will be back. 
Still a project in Markezine
Bouldering in Biokovo
One of the best things in Split was DWS trip to Čiovo organised by Daniel Piccini Avantura Adventures-Split. Unforgettable experience with driving around with sailing boat and climbing all day long. Perfect rock with perfect holds and walls just high enough for playing around or trying something harder.
Warm up traverses with best jugs ever
Jumps wre what I was looking for
Now it was time for a little bigger project I had in my mind for a few years now. Big wall in Drašnice. Around there you can find many amazing crags just waiting to be bolted but this one is somehow special. 220m high overhang with big awesome tufas everywhere. It was not hard to find a line since you can see it from the road or sea while you are swimming. I needed 4 days to put all the bolts in and now it's ready for climbing. It will be graded somewhere around 8b, maybe a little more. But who cares last time it was fun just jumaring up on it and enjoying the view :)
Big wall in Drašnice
Our road went on to Mostar for čevapčiči and further down south to Montenegro where we had to stop in Durmitor while we saw some cool boulders by the road. After we destroyed all our skin we decided to continue to Podgorica. On the way we couldn't believe what we saw. Rocks everywhere and we just wanted to climb them all. We finally got to Smokovac where one sector is already bolted with around 70 routes. Super solid rock with tufas and holds everywhere. Only thing I was missing were some harder routes so I took my drilling machine and made one. Again it was one of the best lines I ever bolted and for sure the best one yesterday :). It turned out to be somewhere around 8b and it's the hardest route in Montenegro at the moment. "Unfortunately" I climbed it in the first try so now I have to make a new one. I'm gonna do it just left of it today. There is enough space and one line looks better than other.
New boulders are always fun
Marwan Maayta joined us from Jordan
Smoki - Smokovac has a lot of potential. This is just one of the crags
Hardest route in Montenegro, Rotor & Wings 8b

OK enough writing, back to climbing and bolting.